art camp

paper mache bowl based on this project

project based on Wayne Thiebaud and inspired by this project

project based on Paul Klee's work


I spent the last week with eleven very fun and creative kids making art at my very first art camp. It was so much fun and as always inspiring to see what comes from the creative minds of kids. Above is just a small sampling of the projects we made. We painted and worked with clay. We made drawings from our imaginations and from a still life. We used oil pastels and charcoal. We got our hands very dirty with paper mache paste. And we just had a lot of fun! You can see many more pictures from our time together here on my flickr account. And I just want to say many thanks to Kathy at Art Projects For Kids for all of the great project ideas! My mind is reeling with ideas for future camps and workshops, so I'll keep you posted...

Fabric Cuffs

I love all the fabric cuffs that I have seen lately, so I decided I'd try my hand at them, and this is what I have come up with so far. The first one I made is the dark brown one, and I really love the button and the haphazard back and forth embroidery, but I'm not too pleased with the ribbon loop. I'm trying to figure this part out. i tried three different things on this one cuff and finally decided to stick with this. On the second cuff, I made a fabric loop, which I like the look of much better, but I will have to see how it holds up. I like the frayed edges of this one. I made both of these to fit my wrist, which is very small. So, I'd like to make a few more average sized cuffs to give as presents. i have some ideas for some new ones and will share as I have time to follow through on those ideas.

New and Improved Zipper Pouches

I have been making zipper pouches for the past couple of weeks, first out of necessity, and then because they were so much fun to make. I really think everyone needs a good zipper pouch! I finally had to retire my much beloved zipper pouch that I purchased in Viet Nam, and I was lost without it. I use it as my wallet and often hook it onto my belt loop when shopping with my kiddos so I'm hands free. So I was inspired when I purchased my new sewing machine (more on that later) to make myself a new zipper pouch. My first attempt was less than perfect, but it has sufficed in function. Since that first pouch, I have made several more, improving with each one. This latest pouch I really love because of the orange zipper and thread and little appliqued flowers. I found a great tutorial on machine sewing the lining to the zipper and had great success with it. My previous pouches have all had a hand sewn lining, which I think actually lent a nice feel to them, but I wanted to try out attaching the lining in this way, and I think it might be a little more sturdy.

new blog...

so... i'm trying out the blog thing. in the past few months, i've discovered the whole blog world, and in particular the crafting blog world. inspiration abounds, and i have been incredibly inspired by the beauty i have discovered. soooo... i'm starting this blog to begin posting different projects that i've been inspired to create. here's to a new thing!